Miko Memories
by OhBrother
Summary: Kagome knows something Sesshomaru wants to know... many things happen in a short amount of time. will Sesshomaru realize that what he's looking for has been there all along? SessKag Read and Review.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Honor and Palms **

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha.

The silent youkai lord walked through the dense forest. He had no companions, not for this mission.

Jaken had been left in charge of Rin who had begged to tag along. The old demon was certainly annoying but he was loyal and a demon nonetheless. He could be trusted to protect Rin.

He was unsure of how to go about his business, and being unsure was not good enough for this taiyoukai.

He would not fail this time. He would win his father's sword back from his filthy half-brother. He could have no distractions.

Sesshomaru's face showed no emotion. When did it ever, really?

Would his brother's friends intervene? He didn't know about the monk, demon slayer, and fox youkai, he assumed, would have the good sense to stay out of it. However, his brother's bitch would bother to break it up. Or try.

She was getting to be a nuisance. You'd have thought she would have learned by now. He was beginning to wonder if he should just get on with it and kill the wench. She was a brave little miko; he had to admit that much. The way she pointed her purification arrows at him, not a trace of fear in her eyes, he knew, he had searched. He supposed the only reason she was even still alive was because she was so foreign to him. She dressed and spoke differently and on the occasions he had taken it upon himself to spy on his brother, Sesshomaru had noticed some intriguing artifacts in her possession.

Which led him to why he was walking through the woods so late at night. He had caught the girl's sent not long ago. Strangely enough it was solitary. None of her companions had been with her.

Sesshomaru had briefly thought of this as a trap. The thought flitted though his mind before he dismissed it as impossibility. Even his half-brother wasn't so stupid to seek him out.

The miko's sent changed rapidly, and the youkai lord paused to identify the change in her sent. Fear was dominant as well as helplessness and resignation. The wench had given in early to whatever had attacked her. The smell of her blood was overpowering and Sesshomaru's nose twitched with a combination of disgust and the blood he smelt.

He only had to walk a little ways before he found her. The corpse of a weak youkai lay on top f her body. He could smell the burning stench of where her purification arrows must have hit the dead creature.

Sesshomaru strode silently over to where she lay. Looking down he noted, with slight surprise, that she was still alive.

Inwardly he smirked. He had assumed that the resignation he had smelled was her giving into the youkai, when in reality it was her giving into not being able to lift the cadaver off herself. How ironic.

He could smell her blood all over the forest floor. The wrench had passed out and from the looks of it had lost a lot of blood.

Sesshomaru grimaced inwardly. It was now a matter of honor that he save the girl. He had, after all, followed the girl's sent intentionally. The least he could do was return his brother's bitch to him. Now he would have to soil his hands and touch a human.

He lifted the dead youkai off her frail body and threw it aside. Slowly he approached the girl. She was bleeding from her side, a wound that would not have bothered a youkai. Humans were disgustingly weak creatures.

Sesshomaru picked up her limp form and cradled her with his one arm. There was irony yet again. This wench was the one who had helped play a part in separating his other arm from his body.

There would be no battling his half-brother tonight.

The girl stirred in his arms. She was deathly cold and her blood began to soak into his clothes.

He picked up his hanyou brother's sent and followed it. He mentally cursed his half-brother as he came across a village and followed the sent inside.

Silently he slipped into a small hut. A warm fire crackled in the middle of the room. Sesshomaru took in his surroundings with a critical eye. "Hn." It was not his castle, but it was an acceptable place to leave the girl.

"KAGOME!!" his half-brother yelled.

InuYasha took in the horrifying sight. Kagome lay bleeding in his bastard brother's arm.

"Sesshomaru! What the hell did you do to her!" he said angrily. What he wouldn't do to strangle Sesshomaru right now. Unfortunately for this hanyou, Sesshomaru still had Kagome.

Sesshomaru suppressed a sigh. He was still honor bound to stay with the girl until she awoke.

Sesshomaru lay Kagome down on the floor where her friends rushed forward to tend her wounds.

"Hey! I'm talking to you, bastard! What did you do to Kagome!" InuYasha growled deep in his throat.

Sesshomaru ignored him and sat down by the fire. InuYasha blinked and stared at the youkai lord.

"InuYasha, calm down. By the looks of it he won't be leaving anytime soon." The monk advised.

"Why the hell not, Miroku?" the irritable hanyou muttered darkly.

"Because, and I'm guessing here, that he was trying to find you. He found Kagome's sent and followed it. He fond her like this," Miroku paused and gestured to Kagome, "and since he intentionally sought her out his honor prevents his from leaving her when he has the ability to help her. Now he must stay until she awakens." The lecherous monk paused yet again. " Is that about right, Sesshomaru?" he asked pointedly.

Sesshomaru inclined his head slightly in a nod, confirming the monk's suspicions.

The hanyou glared at Sesshomaru as he inched towards Kagome. Muttering incoherently, well for human ears, he sat down next to his friends. Sesshomaru fought back a smirk at what he heard. "…kill … bastard…. next time … get him…"

The kitsune's face was creased with worry.

"Is Kagome going to be alright?" he asked in a small voice.

"Yes, Shippo. I believe she will." The demon slayer answered.

The kitsune reminded Sesshomaru of Rin. With a pang Sesshomaru remembered he had promised Rin he would be back by morning. By the looks of things he would fail to keep that promise to his young ward. His honor was at stake at the moment and Sesshomaru knew the selfless girl would not be cross with him.

"Are you sure, Sango? Are you sure she won't have to go back to her own time for medicine?" Shippo asked worriedly. "Ep!" he said and covered his mouth. In his worry for Kagome he'd forgotten that Sesshomaru was in the room.

"Shippo, you idiot!" InuYasha growled.

Sesshomaru never looked up from the fire.

I always thought your bitch was strange, brother. But from a different time… how intriguing. What time?" Sesshomaru asked.

InuYasha blinked, confused. He had never heard Sesshomaru talk so much before about anything not having to do with killing InuYasha or retrieving his father's sword.

"None of your business you bastard! And she isn't my bitch!"

Sesshomaru continued as if InuYasha hadn't spoken.

"Hmm… perhaps the wench should tell me herself, when she awakens."

He settled into a more comfortable position on the floor, pointedly ignoring the discontented mumblings of his hanyou half-brother.

The miko slept through the night and did not stir until the sun had crawled high in the sky the next day.

Kagome's fingers twitched and her eyes opened slightly. Gasping she sat up fast only to fall back with a small yelp.

"What the _fuck_!" Kagome groaned.

"Kagome, are you alright?" Shippo asked in a tiny voice.

The girl turned her head in order to catch sight of the kitsune. She smiled at him feebly.

"Yeah, Shippo. I'll be fine." She laughed weakly. "I've been through worse and gotten through." An amused look flitted across her face. "At least this time I'm not delusional." She turned her head and caught sight of Sesshomaru. "Opps! Spoke too soon!" she laughed heartily.

There was an uncomfortable stir in the hut as the youkai lord lifted an eyebrow at her.

"Hey," she giggled, turning to speak to InuYasha, "Let's see if my delusions make sense this time!" she turned her head back to Sesshomaru with a grin and asked "So whatcha doing here Sess-oh-maru?"

The youkai lord was taken aback, although he would never show it. This girl thought him to be in her mind. Was it really that unlikely that he should be in this hut?

"_Yes_," he answered himself silently.

Maybe he could use this to his advantage.

"Tell me, miko. Are you really from a future time." Sesshomaru's face held no expression.

"Oh, so my delusion knows about my time travel." She chortled.

Sesshomaru glanced at her companions. Surly they would at least tell her that she was not seeing things.

He sighed, looks as if none of them were willing to tell her. In fact the monk seemed to be enjoying the show. The job was left to him.

"Miko, this is no trick of the mind. I am really sitting here before you." His eyebrow rose slightly, "and since you have just confirmed to me that you are indeed from another time I suggest you answer my question."

Kagome blinked. "Is this really not just in my head?" she thought, "only one way to tell."

And with that thought Kagome reached out and grabbed that lord of the western land's remaining hand.

"It's there alright." Kagome thought. "Wow, it's strong and surprisingly soft."

Sesshomaru eyed her warily. What was the wench doing? He narrowed his eyes. She needed proof that he wasn't just a figment of her imagination. He hated touching humans, with the exception of Rin.

"But this one is different…" the thought startled him and he stiffened.

Kagome glanced up swiftly and caught the gaze of the youkai lord. For a moment she could've sworn she saw a flicker of uncertainty flash through his eyes. Then it was gone and in its place was his usual cool, cynical detachment.

A thought entered her head as the looked back down at a very real Sesshomaru's hand.

Turning it palm up she studied his hand.

"What are you doing, Kagome?" asked a slightly panicked Shippo.

The miko looked up at him grinning.

"Doing a palm reading." She looked back down at Sesshomaru's palm.

"And what, miko, is a palm reading?" Sesshomaru inquired.

"A palm reading is a basic telling of a person's life. It relies on the lines in a person's hand," she answered without looking up. "Like this," she pointed to one of the many lines that were strewn across Sesshomaru's palm. "This is the travel line. It indicates travel, be it when you are young, old, or in between. Your travel line is crossed with many small lines, some in the past some in the future. This foreshadows danger or problems during your travel."

Kagome paused and looked up at the youkai lord. His façade was of cool indifference, yet somehow when she looked into his eyes she saw barely suppressed curiosity. A smile graced her face. Looking down she continued.

"This one is your head line. Yours is how I would have expected it to be: for one the opposite of InuYasha's. His wavers indicating recklessness. Yours, however, is very straight which tells me you have a very logical and direct way of thinking as well as realistic. Your line is also deep which tells me you have and excellent memory."

This miko confounded him. She sat in front of him and told him about himself. She was also holding his large, clawed hand in her delicate one. Did she not realize he could crush her easily if he so desired? She should be afraid of him, if not only because he was a youkai and a lord at that, but because he had also nearly killed her on several occasions.

"Kagome! Kagome! Do me now!" the kitsune shouted.

The miko smiled playfully at the kit. "I will, Shippo, I will, but I haven't finished with Sesshomaru." She turned back to his palm.

"Your life line is unusually long which is to be expected sense you _are_ a youkai." She flashed him a wicked grin. "The next important line is the marriage line…" she trailed off.

InuYasha snorted from the corner. "Him? I can't believe he even has one." The hanyou declared.

Kagome looked up at InuYasha sharply, successfully securing his silence with a shut-the-hell-up-right-now-or-I'll-sit-you-till-you-can't-feel-your-face stare.

"Now lets see. You only have one marriage line indicating only one marriage in your life. There are no separate lines around your marriage line indicating no affairs." Sesshomaru glared down at his palm. That the miko would even entertain such a preposterous notion was deeply insulting. To have an affair while your mate was alive was shameful.

"Now for the more interesting part of the marriage line: the number of children. Hmmm…." She looked intently at the lines in Sesshomaru's palm. How she could make sense of it he did not know.

"It indicates four blood children over time and there is one very faint line that I assume is Rin. Since she is not blood related she does not show up very distinctly here." Kagome pointed at the lines, Sesshomaru stared down at his hand, mentally memorizing the lines and their meanings as she pointed them out.

She stopped talking a moment and stared hard at his hand.

He looked at her warily. "Something had made you uneasy miko. What is it." Sesshomaru did not ask, he demanded. Knowing this to be a fact Kagome did not appreciate his commanding tone. She glared up at him a moment. Sesshomaru waited, somewhat impatiently. She wanted to tell him but her pride was hurt by his command. Would she even answer? He did not have much faith that she would… without persuasion. Humans were such prideful beings and it took a very selfless human to swallow their pride. Kagome was about to surprise him. Her gaze turned thoughtful and she turned the attention of the cerulean eyes back to his palm. Then she spoke so soft even he, sitting so close to her, had to strain to hear. None of the others in the hut could hear. This fact seemed to irk InuYasha to no end.

"Well this," she pointed "is the heart line." She paused to glance up at his face. He eased is face to include the fleeting emotion of confusion. This seemed to put her at ease.

"The heart line deals with emotions and events connected with love. Your ability to love and be loved, which varies from person to person. It's said that only your perfect match has the same heart line as an individual. **(a/n: just so everybody knows I made up that last bit about the perfect match. The rest I looked up online.) **The stronger and deeper the line the stronger and warmer your devotion. Your line is long and curved upwards. This tells me you have a warm, pleasant, romantic nature, and you tend to give all of yourself to love no matter the cost."

After saying this, she slowly raised her eyes once again to meet his. He found himself unable to keep the bewildered, wild, and apprehensive look from his eyes.

"Your line is deep and strong. I have only ever seen one like it before. Though it seems impossible to me, the woman's heart line was an exact replica of yours." He regarded her coolly before speaking up.

"Tell me where to find this woman, miko. If she is my match, I must find her."

"What would you do once you found her?" Her gaze never left his, never wavered.

"I would take her as my mate. If she is the one woman worthy of me she must not escape." Sesshomaru answered.

"And if she were to refuse?" Kagome questioned.

Sesshomaru looked the miko over, sizing her up. She was too interested in his answer. This was none of her business. Unless… she said she knew this girl. Was she just an acquaintance or was she a close friend of the miko's?

"She wouldn't." was his answer.

She narrowed her eyes, obviously not pleased by his answer. This made him even more curious, but he schooled his features into his signature emotionless mask.

Finally she asked the final question. One that would surprise him but even more surprising, would not anger him.

"What if she was a human?" she whispered, her eyes bore into his.

This was an unexpected development.

"So, is she really a human? Or is this miko trying to irritate me?" Sesshomaru thought.

Kagome sat, waiting quite impatiently for his answer.

"It would not matter." His answer surprised both her and him. However, he found it was true. Besides, Sesshomaru was not in the practice of lying.

"If she were my match, it would not matter." He said, holding her gaze.

"Hn." She grunted, sounding amazingly a lot like Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru tried to wait patiently, truly he did, but the wrench was withholding information about his future mate.

Sesshomaru stood up and in one fluid motion had Kagome pinned to the hut's earthen floor. Her friends cried out and rushed towards her only to stop short. If they came any closer, they reasoned, Sesshomaru might hurt Kagome. They had no idea what the miko and taiyoukai had been discussing.

Kagome smirked, a self-satisfied look on her face.

"Almost as if she knows something I don't," Sesshomaru thought. He scoffed at himself silently. "Of course she does, she knows the identity and whereabouts of my match. No," he paused for a moment "there's something else." This made him wary.

The miko's smug look stayed, plastered on her face.

"You're not going to kill me Sesshomaru." It was not a question, merely a statement of fact. And Kagome was one hundred percent correct.

Sesshomaru grunted and narrowed his eyes at her for a fraction of a second before, once again, standing "or," Kagome thought, "more like towering," over her.

"You will not tell me?" Sesshomaru asked.

Kagome tilted her head and gave him a good once over before answering thoughtfully, "No, at least not for now."

"Very well," Sesshomaru started towards the hut's entrance. He stopped and looked back at her. "But you shall tell me." He turned around and left without another word.

"Humph." Kagome pouted, she'd hoped to get more of a reaction from the demon lord.

"Kagome, Kagome! Are you okay" Shippo lunged at Kagome and clung to her legs.

All her friends crowed around, making sure she was okay… all except InuYasha.

He stood there watching her, a strange look in his eyes.

"InuYasha" she questioned. Kagome's eyes met his and suddenly he was standing in front of her and his arms had come around her. She was pulled into his chest and he hugged her to him.

"Bitch," he murmured half-heartedly, "What did you think you were doing provoking him like that?" his grip tightened. "We could've lost you today."

Kagome grinned knowingly up at him.

"He won't be killing me anytime soon." Was her answer.

InuYasha narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"Let's just say I know something very important to him and leave it at that. " her grin now seemed a permanent fixture on her face.

It was then that InuYasha realized that Kagome was still in his arms. He flushed suddenly and quickly withdrew his arms, stuffing them into his hoari. He looked back at her uneasily.

"What is it, InuYasha?" she asked sweetly.

"Feh, wrench." Was his only reply, well…. that and a face that burned redder than before.

Kagome giggled, then winced. Immediately her friends were at her side. In all the excitement she had completely forgotten her wounds from the youkai in the forest.

"And to think I was on my way home." She thought wryly to herself.

Her thoughts drifted to the cold youkai lord that had just left and the information she held. She sobered at the thought.

"Do I really _want_ to know what I know?" she thought wearily. "Well, there's no taking I back now, is there?" and with that Kagome fell into a tired, dreamless sleep.

a/n: My fingers are sore! I don't think I've ever typed so much at one time in my entire life! Also just so ya know that was the longest chapter I've ever written and every other chapter will probably be a fraction of what I have written here. Don't get me wrong though. They will be a very good length. So… REVIEW!!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Following Kagome **

**Disclaimer: I dream that I own InuYasha… needless to say I'm very disappointed when I wake up.**

Kagome stepped outside of Kaede's small hut and stretched. She grinned up at the blue sky. It had been nearly a week since the forest youkai had attacked and Kagome had soon grown disastrously bored cooped up inside. This had not been good for the hanyou who had more than his fair share of 'sits' from the irritable miko. Then, yesterday, she had been allowed out only to be called back minutes later when it had started to rain. This put Kagome in an utterly fowl mood, that is until she and Sango had teamed up to play a prank on everyone's favorite perverted monk.

Kagome giggled softly, remembering the look on Miroku's face.

"Yes," she thought. "That one's definitely a keeper. Have to try it on InuYasha sometime when he's least expecting it."

Kagome's grin grew. She started off, away from the village. Not too close, but not far enough that she couldn't easily call for help if the need should arise.

Kagome was content. It wasn't everyday she got to admire the beauty of the Feudal Era. InuYasha was usually "dragging their sorry asses" around to look for jewel shards. Though of late, InuYasha had been extremely careful around her. She supposed it was a combination of her injuries from the forest youkai and the fact that she clearly had some sort of hold over Sesshomaru.

It could also be because the night she had been attacked by the forest youkai he had been a bit more argumentative than usual and they had fought heatedly before she left for home. Being the grudge-holding hanyou that he was, and she being the slightly irrational miko that _she_ was they had 'agreed' that neither needed the other's help. Which proved to be all too wrong moments later when the youkai had attacked. Kagome suspected that InuYasha felt a tad bit guilty for not accompanying her to the Bone Eater's Well that night, as was, usually, his custom.

Kagome sat down on the bank of a stream and leaned back, tilting her face towards the bright sun.

"Oh, so relaxing," she thought smiling.

"You can come out now Sesshomaru." Kagome called without opening her eyes. "I've known you were following me for quite some time."

Sesshomaru in all his glory materialized in front of Kagome. His face was set and calm. His eyes, however, held a spark of anticipation.

Kagome cracked an eyelid and looked up at the stoic taiyoukai before her. "Does he really think I'll tell him today?" she thought, the corners of her mouth twitched involuntarily upward in a half smile. "If he does he's got another thing coming."

"I was beginning to wonder when you would acknowledge my presence." Sesshomaru said.

Kagome pretended to pout.

"Oh, poor Sesshomaru. Couldn't get the human miko's attention, how sad."

Sesshomaru's eyes flashed, but not with anger. Sesshomaru was _amused_.

The human wench was becoming more intriguing by the minute. That she could provoke amusement in him had startled Sesshomaru. And that any human could capture his attention for such a long amount of time without losing their life also intrigued Sesshomaru though he, of course, had not shown it.

Kagome stood up and stretched.

"Well, Sesshomaru. It was nice to see ya, but I gotta go now. InuYasha will probably be storming over here if I don't go back now. Ya know, sick person 'privileges.'" Kagome rolled her eyes at the last part.

The momentarily self-righteous miko slowly dusted herself off. Then she turned back towards the cozy village.

In the blink of an eye Sesshomaru stood in her path.

"Did you really think you would get away so easily, miko? Considering what you know." Sesshomaru asked.

Kagome sighed, her hands planted firmly on her hips.

"No," she replied. "But I was hoping that you might be generous this time for an insignificant, injured, human miko."

"You, miko, are many things, but insignificant is not one of them. You hold the location of my future mate. If she is human or even hanyou she is my match and she shall not escape."

"Yes, you've said that before." Kagome commented dryly.

She started to maneuver around him but he stopped her.

"Tell me, one thing, one thing of her. What is her name?" Sesshomaru asked.

The answer flew out of Kagome's mouth before she could think.

"Ai."

"Ai?"

"Ai, it means 'love' in, Greek, I believe." Kagome said. She winced.

"Ai is her name?" Sesshomaru murmured. He tested it out.

"Ai, love." He thought "love and killing perfection. Ai" the miko interrupted his thoughts. **(a/n: for people who don't know the killing perfection reference I've heard from several people that Sesshomaru translates from Japanese to English as killing perfection.) **

"One of them." She said.

"She has more than one name?" Sesshomaru was confused by this girl. She told him the name of his match, only to later tell him that it was merely one of his match's names.

"I shall have to be content for now." He thought.

Sesshomaru watched the miko walk away. He noted with detachment that she still limped a little from the forest youkai's attack.

Thinking back to that time, Sesshomaru remembered distinctly the amount of damage done to the forest youkai. Its corpse had been burnt beyond recognition. Even it's sent had been altered nearly beyond distinction. However, Sesshomaru, being of the dog youkai variety, had a superior nose and had been able to identify the youkai as of a centipede type. With this knowledge Sesshomaru had hunted down the centipede's nest and killed it's mate and offspring. It would not do to have the miko die because of a revenge seeking centipede youkai clan.

The miko had long since faded from Sesshomaru's line of vision. Yet still he stood where the miko had left him. He was lost in his thoughts.

Ai, he _must_ learn more about her.

"Surly the miko will not protest to answering my questions about her. She is, after all, my future mate." Sesshomaru thought practically.

The miko's sent was fading and this left Sesshomaru feeling slightly disappointed and quite startle by feeling disappointed. Sesshomaru sifted though his conscience, trying to find a reason why he might find disappointed at the miko's fading sent.

"Well, her sent isn't quite like most humans." He pondered; he took a delicate whiff with his sensitive nose, "smells like vanilla, and oranges and… sunshine?" how she ever managed that Sesshomaru would never know. "The little wench is quite surprising."

With a sudden awareness Sesshomaru noted that it was quickly becoming dark. The taiyoukai slowly but surely made his way back to the camp where Rin and Jaken were waiting.

The sun set slowly behind him. The red, pink, and orange colors mixing together to form a magnificent twilight. These colors shone all around the youkai lord of the West, creating an altogether impressive, if not intimidating scene. The taiyoukai's face, however, showed no emotion suggesting that he had noticed the darkening sky's beauty. Only when Rin came bounding over to him in pure joy over his return did his face soften the least bit to show how much he truly cared for his bright and bubbly ward. His reaction, decidedly quite like that of a father.

**a/n: hey, hope you like this new chapter! REVIEW DANM IT!! Thanx!! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Meeting in the Woods**

_Disclaimer: I wish on every star that I will someday own InuYasha… that wish has yet to come true._

"Argg… SIT!" the high-pitched roar of an aggravated young miko rang through the forest, scaring many small critters out of their hiding places.

InuYasha was once again forced to kiss the ground against his will.

Sango, Miroku, and Shippo winced in sympathy for their poor hanyou friend, but did nothing to stop his suffering. He had incurred the wrath of the usually generous and kind miko and everyone knew that when Kagome was mad you'd better stay out of her way. Besides, InuYasha deserved every 'sit' he got. Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and even Kilala **(a/n: everywhere I go I read Kiara or something like that, hasn't anyone noticed that on the anime it's pronounced Key-la-la? So I'm just gonna spell it Kilala from now on… DEAL WITH IT!!) **breathed a collective sigh. InuYasha never learned.

InuYasha sprang up as the subduing spell on the rosary wore off. His face was covered in dirt and crumbled bits of leaves were caught in his hair. He was a spectacle. Shippo couldn't help giggling a bit. InuYasha silenced him quickly with a swift glare. Lucky for InuYasha, the already enraged Kagome hadn't noticed his silent glare-threat directed towards the small kitsune youkai. Had she seen it would have guaranteed the hanyou a string of 'sits.'

Kagome's back was to InuYasha. She strode deeper into the woods and away from her friends.

"Oi, wench! Where are you going?" InuYasha questioned rudely.

Kagome stopped in her tracks.

"I'm going to a waterfall I know isn't far from here. I need to relax for a little while." Kagome's voice was calm but one glance at her tense form and white knuckles told you how hard she was fighting to try not to yell at InuYasha. The oblivious hanyou either didn't notice or chose to ignore these warning signs. That or he had a death wish, either way he made a _very_ bad move.

"You can't rest now! We have jewel shards to find! Did you hear me woman? I said: did you he-" here InuYasha was cut off by an infuriated miko. If InuYasha hadn't known better he would've said that she had come straight from hell.

"I'M GOING TO FUCKIN' REST INUYASHA! I DON'T NEED YOUR DAMN PERMISSION!" then Kagome took a deep breath and… "SIT!" she shrieked. The sound bounced off the mountains and came back to InuYasha's ears long after Kagome had left, taunting him with a cruel and wicked reminder of his blunder.

The miko stomped off the previously mentioned waterfall grumbling along the way about, "stupid, idiotic, oblivious, selfish…" well, you get the point: InuYasha.

Reaching her destination, Kagome sat down huffily on a nearby boulder, still fuming.

Sesshomaru had been patrolling the border of his lands as usual when he heard a strangled cry of "Sit!" Knowing there was only one person in Japan who would have a good reason to yell "sit" in the middle of a youkai infested forest; Sesshomaru quickly came to the conclusion that InuYasha and his pack were nearby.

His suspicions were confirmed when moments later Sesshomaru heard several words that Rin, with her human senses, could not hear. That was soon followed by yet another "sit" only further confirming his hunch.

Silently he broke away from his pack, Rin pouted momentarily before brightening up as she spotted a patch of flowers.

Sesshomaru followed his nose and ears and soon found the miko sitting by a waterfall.

Sesshomaru paused and looked at her. She sat serenely. The waterfall behind her gave off brilliant colors that spilled out like a broken rainbow. Her velvety black hair flowed naturally down her back in waves as her clear, blue eyes stared out into the distance. Her eyes held a thoughtful, far way look. She was obviously in deep contemplation and had not noticed his demonic aura.

Sesshomaru fond himself admiring her form. Startled, her shook himself, mentally cursing said miko for making him think such things.

"The wench is merely a tool on the way to finding my match. It will not do to grow attached." He chided himself.

The girl was still unaware of his presence and did not seem to show any signs of recognizing it anytime soon.

"So I'll just have to reveal myself."

And so he did. Kagome blinked and there he was. He appeared so suddenly she was sure it was a dream. At least until he spoke.

"Something troubles you miko."

Kagome frowned.

"Your little brother was being a dick again." She replied.

Sesshomaru's mouth twitched upward. He again cursed Kagome for bringing up long buried emotions. His face hardened even further. However, Sesshomaru realized this was not a good tactic. If he ever wanted the miko to open up and tell him about the location of his mate then he would have to make her feel comfortable in his presence. Sesshomaru sighed. Knowing humans and how they were so dependent on emotions he would have to gain her trust by showing his own. With this knowledge Sesshomaru slowly and reluctantly eased his face from an emotionless mask to show amusement and irritation.

"If I'm going to show my emotions I might as well be truthful about them." He thought.

Kagome didn't seem to notice his change at all.

"The girl is either clueless and ignorant or could care less… or perhaps she also hides her emotions." The thought startled him. "Why would _she_ hide her emotions? If she does then she does so very differently than I. Rather than behind an outward appearance of no emotions, like myself, she hides behind a happy exterior." As he pondered this, a thought entered his head that he could not ignore. "Perhaps she has been hurt one too many times. Perhaps she hides behind her own mask to deflect the possibility of being hurt as such again."

Strangely enough Sesshomaru understood this. It seemed to him that he and the miko had more in common than he originally thought. Especially considering that to begin with he had thought they had nothing in common at all.

What Sesshomaru failed to remember while thinking was that he had completely dropped his cool, calm, and collected façade.

Kagome stared up at the momentarily oblivious taiyoukai with, at first, wonder, then, amusement. Sesshomaru was obviously off in his own little world, absorbed in his own thoughts. Kagome watched silently for a moment, observing the different emotions flash onto his face only to be replaced an instant later with yet another.

Sesshomaru, quite suddenly, became keenly aware of the miko's eyes that were watching him with curiosity and amusement.

Sesshomaru flushed pink for an instant before going pale. HE, Sesshomaru, had BLUSHED! He had forgotten about taking off his mask. He looked up quickly, hoping to find that Kagome had not noticed. Unfortunately for the youkai lord, he had just caught a bit of terrible luck: Kagome had seen.

"You know, Sesshomaru, I don't think I've ever seen you like this before." She smiled.

Sesshomaru took a moment before responding.

"I do not show my emotions to enemies. It would distract me and give them an advantage over me in battle." Was his cool answer.

"And I'm not an enemy?" she questioned.

"No. Unless you WANT to be." Sesshomaru flexed his poison claws as he said this.

"No. I'm good!" she replied cheerfully.

She tilted her head in a playful manner.

"So, miko, what did the hanyou do this time?" Sesshomaru asked. You know, not because he was actually _interested _or anything like that.

Kagome's cheerful expression melted suddenly to be replaced by a fierce scowl.

"He wouldn't let me go home." She pouted.

"Home. The future. You never did tell me exactly how far into the future you were from." Sesshomaru commented.

"Hmm… oh, 500 years or so." She replied, waving her hand about as if it were such a trivial matter.

Sesshomaru eyed Kagome with astonishment.

"A lot can happen in 500 years miko. Surely you could tell me something of the future."

Kagome smiled, she had expected as much. Every person she had come across who she had told her secret had asked for her to tell them one thing about the time in which she was born.

"Well, I live in a shrine built around the sacred tree, the one InuYasha was pinned to for 50 years, with my grandfather, mother, and little brother Sota." She paused to think. "We have many new technologies that assist us in many ways. Oh! And we've been to the moon! Well, not the Japanese specifically, but the Americans have."

Sesshomaru was amazed to say the least. The moon! _Humans _had been to the moon.

"And what," he wondered, "are Americans?"

By now Kagome was looking at him again, gauging his reaction to the information she had just divulged.

She gave him a questioning look.

"You wish to ask me something, miko?"

"Yes. What is your reason for coming here? I know you didn't come to hear me diss InuYasha. Also you KNOW that I'm not going to tell you the identity of your match just yet. So what is your purpose for coming here?"

Sesshomaru sighed, to think that he had almost forgotten.

"I want you to tell me more about my future mate." He answered her.

Kagome smiled softly.

"Fine, just a little."

**a/n: that took **_**forever**_** to type! I don't generally like to type that much so it takes me forever to type up what I need to get done. Plus there **_**is **_**school. (shudders) so go on and review! I need the reviews! Also, please check out my profile. I have written a few oneshots too that some of you may be interested in reading. So REVIEW!! **

_**-OhBrother **_

**p.s. yes, i know that Sesshomaru is a bit OOC in this chapter but just remember that he _did_ drop his mask and showed Kagome his emotions. he just got more than he bargained for! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Reluctant Date with Hojo**

_Disclaimer: I don't own. I never will… stop rubbing it in! _

Sesshomaru was irritated to say the least.

The miko had answered few of his questions. She had claimed they were "too specific." What she had told him was trivial, but what irked him the most was that he had lapped it all up like a common dog. Powerful inu-youkai such as himself shouldn't have to stoop so low as to consort with a too-cheerful human miko on such serious matters as one's future mate.

When he had asked about his mate's numerous other names, the miko had laughed and told him, "baka, wench, woman, oh, and occasionally bitch."

Day had grown into night as he had talked with Kagome. Soon, it had seemed far too soon, that the woman's friends had begun to call out for her. She had sighed and his nose had distinguished regret in her sent. She was regretting having to leave him? He had pushed the thought aside as she had begun to speak.

"Sesshomaru, I don't want to inconvenience you, but I should probably go home. To my time, that is. If I go back to InuYasha now he'll claim it to be too late for me to return home. I am not fast enough to outrun him if he is following my sent. Could you carry me back to the Bone Eater's Well?" she had asked and after a few moments of thoughtful silence he had complied.

Unfortunately for Kagome she would have to deal with an extremely unhappy hanyou when she returned.

Mere moments after Kagome had disappeared into the well amid a soft, glowing, blue light, InuYasha had burst through the circle of tress surrounding the clearing. The hanyou was obviously furious. Not irritated, not angry, not pissed, furious was the only word to describe the way InuYasha felt right then.

"Okay, Sesshoumaru, you bastard! What the hell did you do to her! If she's hurt I swear I'll kill you as slow and painfully as humanly possible!"

"And what, brother, would make you think that I would hurt the miko in any way?" Sesshomaru asked mildly.

"Don't give me that shit Sesshomaru! Kagome knows something important to you! She wouldn't tell me what but I don't trust that you wouldn't hurt her to get what you want half so much as she does! I'll tear you to pieces if you laid a finger on her. Now, were is Kagome!" InuYasha snarled.

Sesshomaru regarded his idiot half-brother coolly before answering the growling hanyou's question.

"The miko went home." He said simply, putting it in as small words as possible, hoping his dense half-brother would understand.

"What?" InuYasha asked, blinking.

No such luck.

Sesshomaru sighed and his eyes fluttered closed in exasperation. He had to suppress the urge to rub his temples to ease the dull, pounding headache he got when conversing with the dim-witted hanyou.

"She claimed to have a need to rest away from here. The miko went back to her time." He clarified. His voice held no sign of the exasperation he felt and quite frankly it would have shocked InuYasha into silence (gasp! A miracle!) if he had.

Back was the icy façade that the demon lord had dropped while talking with Kagome. It was back full force and currently directed at the hanyou before him.

InuYasha let out an involuntary shiver at the hard indifference in his brother's eyes. Suddenly a wind picked up, carrying Sesshomaru's sent to InuYasha's nose.

InuYasha froze. His brain working double time to make sense of the information his sensitive appendage had just relayed to him. His eyes narrowed at Sesshomaru and he growled menacingly, low in his throat. Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow in response.

"Okay, so Kagome went back to her home. That, however, does not explain why her fucking sent is _on_ you!" his words were little more than a snarl. If Sesshomaru hadn't been a dog demon then he wouldn't have understood half of what InuYasha said.

"I do not have time for this, brother, and I grow tired of your foolishness and refusal to use what little brainpower you have. I have business to attend to." And with that Sesshomaru disappeared from InuYasha's sight.

A snarl of rage was heard from the direction of the Bone Eater's well. Back in the village Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Keade sighed and rolled their eyes.

* * *

Kagome sighed contentedly. She lay back on her soft bed. She was positively thrilled that it was summer break. That meant that she didn't need to worry about her school attendance. 

It was a bloody miracle, she concluded, that she had made it through yet another school year with fairly high marks. The next school year would be he last in high school. If she ever wanted to get into University she would have to work double time to manage the workload from school _and _deal with a certain hanyou's demanding pace. She groaned just thinking about it.

Kagome flipped over and stared at the ceiling. Another personal problem weighed heavily on her mind. The fact remained that she had yet to be kissed. She was seventeen for kami's sake! Instead of actually having a love life she roamed all over Feudal Japan collecting shards of an ancient jewel. **(a/n: I am completely disregarding all InuYasha movies. That includes the one where Kagome kisses InuYasha to get rid of his youkai form.) **

Kagome had gone on a few dates during high school. That included the dates she had been unable to avoid with Hojo, who still had yet to forget his crush on her. Seriously, you'd think the boy would get a clue and move on, or at least tire of chasing her around.

She rolled her eyes. Before the end of the school year, Hojo had asked her out for during the summer. He had looked so eager and once again Kagome had felt the rejection on the tip of her tongue die a painful death. They had a date the next day.

"Oh, joy." She thought before drifting into unconsciousness. That night her dreams were haunted by specters that looked eerily similar to Hojo, complete with wrapped gifts for Kagome's many 'ailments.'

* * *

Kagome believed herself scared for life. It was the afternoon after her date with Hojo and she was back in the Feudal Era. She sat back on the rim of the well and waited for InuYasha to come 'fetch' her. That was, after all, what dogs were best at. 

They had gone to see a movie, she recalled, it was a humorous one so they had been laughing the entire time. She was profusely relieved by this, if he had tried something it would have been very awkward.

After the movie he had treated her to ice cream and they, well, he had talked. When it had been time for her to return home he had insisted on walking her back to the shrine. He had protested, "A lady should never walk home unaccompanied. Besides, who knows what kinds of people walk around these parts."

His last statement had amused her and she had bravely fought against a rising snicker. They hadn't even left her neighborhood. She knew if probably wasn't fair to Hojo since he lived in a separate neighborhood, but she knew her way around so well she could get home blindfolded, if need be. And as for the people, she knew them all and if she ever wanted to could blackmail every person within a five-mile radius… not that she would, but still. He should have picked up on that he was a smart guy. Sometimes he was just too oblivious for his own good.

When they had arrived back at the shrine she had turned to tell him goodbye when he suddenly hugged her. Kagome had been so startled by his sudden action that before she knew what was happening he had released his hold on her and was leaving the shrine, waving to her over shoulder. He would've been okay too if he hadn't been looking back at her. Too late, her turned his back towards her before he noticed the shrine's steps were right beneath his feet. Needless to say he had lost his balance and took quite a tumble down 278 steps. Once Kagome and her mother had patched him up to the best of their ability he was off again, this time mindful of the stairs. Kagome knew from prior experience that a fall down the Sunset Shrine steps was not something one wished to repeat.

She had gasped at the time and thrown items hurriedly into the large yellow backpack she always carried with her to the Feudal Era. She dove down the well only to find no impatient hanyou waiting for her, in her rush she had come a bit early.

There she sat, perched on the lip of the Bone Eater's well, thinking of her day. In her hurry out the door she had no time for a quick shower. That meant that Hojo's sent was probably still clung to her. Just her luck, either way she would've had an unhappy InuYasha on her hands. Though now that she thought about it she probably should've gone for the kami-wench-I can't-believe-you're-late-again hanyou than the why-do-I-smell-another-male-on-you?-wait-it's-that-Hobo-guy-right? possessive InuYasha. Just thinking about it made her head throb with a dull reminder of the kind of migraine she would later receive.

Kagome heard a small sound to her left. Turning her head she caught sight of Sesshomaru entering the clearing. She smiled, he had become much, hmm… friendlier towards her of late. She supposed it was because of the information she held. Never the less, she enjoyed talking with the taiyoukai. They could actually have intelligent conversations. Far better than InuYasha's customary "Oi, bitch! Get to tracking those shards proto!" or "Kagome! When is the Ramen going to be finished?"

Kagome's smile faltered and was replaced with a slight frown. Sesshomaru's expression was as stoic as ever. Quickly Kagome had learned to look to his eyes to find his emotions. It was only when they were truly alone that he dropped his mask.

Now, however, disturbed her. His eyes were clouded with anger and another emotion she couldn't put her finger on.

"Is something wrong, Sesshomaru?" she asked quizzically.

Kagome blinked and he was in front of her. She looked up his towering form and tilted her head back to meet his eyes. Those twin pools of amber held something Inuyasha's didn't. Before they had begun to know each other she probably would have said it was hate. Hate for his hanyou relation and for all who associated with him. (Now she was beginning to think it was intelligence. Something InuYasha certainly seemed to lack.) She now knew it wasn't hatred; he certainly didn't hate _her_.

But now was different. His whole demeanor was off. As he looked back down at her his eyes held fire and an unspoken question.

Sesshomaru stared down at the miko and she fidgeted under his intense scrutiny. Finally he began to speak, his voice cold.

"Why is it that I smell another male's sent on you?"

**a/n: this is where I'm leaving ya! A nice cliffy if I do say so myself. And just to make you squirm I'll tell ya that I've already got chapter 5 written! All I have to do is type is up and post it! There, NOW lets see if I get a few hundred reviews! **

**–_OhBrother_**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Blood Beast**

_Disclaimer: no, I do NOT own InuYasha and co. _

Kagome blinked in confusion. A male?

"Well, InuYasha's always around me." She answered.

Sesshomaru growled. "Not the hanyou, nor the monk or kitsune. A ningen male." If it was entirely possible Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed further and another low growl was heard.

"I just got back from home. It could be my grandpa, or my brother Sota." Kagome reasoned. It was hard enough to deal with InuYasha's possessive attitude. Kagome mentally cringed. InuYasha was only a half dog demon; it was likely to be even harder to handle Sesshomaru's natural instincts. She could already tell that his blood beast was influencing his actions by the way his eyes were slightly red around his pupils.

"No." Sesshomaru bit out. "This male is not a blood relation." He spat.

Kagome could see that the conversation was veering wildly out of control. Sesshomaru's eyes were becoming redder by the second and growls ripped out of his mouth. His lips were parted in a possessive snarl and his exposed fangs glinted a pearly white in the afternoon sun, and Kagome saw tiny drops of poison falling to the ground beside his feet. He was, altogether, a terrifying sight to behold.

Sesshomaru, on the other hand, was fighting gallantly to control his beast. When he had smelled an unknown male on the miko his blood beast had gone into a rage. His beast fought with a vengeance against every restraint he had. Sesshomaru prided himself on the control he had over his beast. All the control had flown right out the window when he had positively scented an inferior male's sent on her. A weak ningen, a human, had imprinted his sent on _Sesshomaru's _miko. He wanted to know what wretched human dared.

At this point Sesshomaru had lost all sensible thoughts as he gave into his blood beast's primal instincts.

Kagome, for her part, was getting quite nervous. She remembered when InuYasha had first smelled Hojo on her. He had been possessive and aggressive enough, and very, very hard to handle. To this day InuYasha still called Hojo Hobo. But Sesshomaru was different than his half-brother. The fact that his blood beast had made an appearance was proof enough.

Kagome was hesitant to tell Sesshomaru the truth. With his blood beast in control he was unstable and likely to act irrationally, without thought. On the other hand, she grimaced, Sesshomaru would probably be able to tell if she was lying or not by using his superior nose. That was probably why he believed her about his match and the palm reading.

Her mind made up Kagome decided the safest route for everyone would be to tell the taiyoukai what had transpired with Hojo.

So she told him about her "date" with Hojo. As she talked Sesshomaru visibly calmed. She could only assume that his b4east was satisfied, at the moment, with the fact that there was an explanation for the situation at hand.

Sesshomaru was appalled at his inability to control his beast. While listening to Kagome's explanation he fought his beast down. The worst had passed and now that the beast was getting the explanation it so desired, it allowed itself to be forced back into the farthest recesses of his conscience. While Sesshomaru was shocked at his loss of control over his blood beast, he was even more astounded by the sheer amount of rage his blood beast, as well as the more conscientious part of himself, had felt when an unknown male sent was on found the miko. He even recalled claiming the miko as his own during his lapse in control. Not out loud, of course, he would have been mortified if he had. He _did _believe that Kagome belonged to him, in a sense, or at least for the time being. Sesshomaru needed the vital information she held.

Kagome watched as Sesshomaru slowly regained domination over his beast. She was genuinely surprised. As far as she knew Sesshomaru was notorious for his firm restraint over his blood beast. For him to loose control like he had didn't make any sense. She sighed. At least he was back to normal.

A now in control Sesshomaru sized up the miko. She seemed to be in contemplation over what had occurred moments before. Finally, he decided to speak.

"And what, pray tell, miko, is a 'date?'"

Kagome got a funny look on her face, as if she couldn't believe he didn't know what a date was. Until she remembered she was in the Feudal Era talking to a demon.

"Well, I guess you could say that dating is like… um… courting." She tried to put it in terms that he would understand, and now he did.

The silence was palpable and Kagome shifted uneasily on the edge of the well.

Sesshomaru turned his back to her before speaking again.

"You will not partake in the 'dating' anymore, miko." Sesshomaru told her.

"What!" Kagome yelled. "That's not for you to decide, nor is it any of your business." Kagome was fuming. How dare he tell her what to do! He wasn't _her _Lord! How dare he tell her what to do! He couldn't control her life, especially since she lived on the other side of the well.

"Why are you complaining, miko? Did you not say that the boy was always pestering you? If you are not interested in him, why continue to mislead him?"

"I don't want to date Hojo, you're right, but that doesn't mean there are not other men I want to date." Kagome responded.

Sesshomaru didn't even turn around.

"It will not do for you to forget your responsibilities, not only to complete the jewel but also you have yet to reveal the identity and location of my future mate." Sesshomaru coolly.

Kagome groaned. "And I thought InuYasha gave me a hard time about Hojo." She muttered under her breath.

Sesshomaru heard. He was a dog demon, after all, the whole sensitive hearing thing.

He stiffened.

"The hanyou knows about this 'Hojo' and yet does nothing about it?" he questioned.

"Yeah. Well, he sure isn't happy about it and gives me a hard time, but there's not much he can do to stop me. From dating other men, I mean. I try to stay clear of Hojo as much as possible and make up excuses when he asks me. Unfortunately today's date was unavoidable." Kagome answered him with a roll of her eyes.

"Hn." Was the only response Sesshomaru graced her with.

"Oh. Please, Sesshomaru! My going out with one guy is not going to distract me! Hojo's been asking me out for years! Two of which I've been here and its never distracted me before."

"So, am I to believe that the hanyou allows his bitch to see other men, and does not challenge them?" Sesshomaru asked this as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

A tic developed in Kagome's brow and that was the only warning Sesshomaru got before she went nuclear.

"How dare you! I am NOT a whore! Nobody's whore and that you would suggest such a vile thing is insulting! I-" Kagome got only that far in her rant before Sesshomaru interrupted her in a cold, bored voice.

"I would not think to do such a thing miko. What good would insulting you do me?"

Kagome sputtered for a moment before forming a coherent sentence.

"But, but you called me a bitch!" she exclaimed.

"Miko," Sesshomaru spoke to her as if she were a five-year-old child. "What is the literal meaning of bitch?"

She looked confused for a moment before responding, "a female dog."

"Yes, and InuYasha is a half-_dog_ demon. By calling you his bitch I was calling you his mate, or his intended." Sesshomaru calmly explained.

Kagome blinked rapidly, trying to digest the information she had just been given.

"Wait a damn minute! I'm not InuYasha's bitch, mate, or intended! Where in hell did you get an idea like that?!"

Sesshomaru raised a delicate eyebrow. "My half-brother seems to have an… affinity for protecting you."

Kagome's face became still and she lowered her head so that her bangs covered her eyes, and Sesshomaru could have sworn he smelled the faint, salty smell of her tears.

"InuYasha swore to protect me so he could use the Tetsusaiga. Besides that, I can sense jewel shards. That's all."

Sesshomaru could feel the sadness rolling off her in waves. He had the sudden and quite unexplainable urge to comfort her; something his beast did not take very kindly to his ignoring. Oh, and the urge to shake the scrawny neck of the hanyou that caused her sadness.

"You are worth much more than that, miko." He said simply, head turned slightly away from her but eyes trained on her from the corner of his eye.

Kagome looked up and smiled brilliantly. "Thank you Sesshomaru." She said softly.

He watched her silently for a moment before turning to walk away. He spoke as he left. "The hanyou is closing in fast. If he really does not like that ningen's sent I suggest that you prepare to face his anger."

Seconds after Sesshomaru had disappeared behind the thick trees, InuYasha burst through the tree line at the opposite end of the clearing. He blinked as the looked at her.

"You sure are in a hurry, aren't you InuYasha." Kagome said grinning.

"Y- you're early wench."

"Yeah, I know. Miracle, right?" she responded.

He grinned "The kits been whining about when you're gonna be back, I want some Ramen, and Sango needs someone to keep her from killin' the lecher. So come on we- "

He stopped abruptly and as he got closer to her, sniffed. Kagome sighed; she knew it was coming.

"You've been around that weak human, Hobo again haven't you! I smell his stink all over you. What was it? Another 'date' right? I'm tellin' ya woman that human is…" InuYasha continued to rave about "boys from the future being numbskulled wusses who couldn't look a youkai in the eye much less raise a sword to one."

Kagome tuned him out as she had become accustomed to doing. Instead her thoughts turned to a certain taiyoukai's strange behavior. Sesshomaru sure had been acting strange. And then he'd just left!

An angry InuYasha interrupted her thoughts. Confused, she wondered if he'd asker a question while she hadn't been paying attention to him.

"I said: why do you smell like Sesshomaru? His sent it on you too! It's faint but _there_! What the hell were you doing talking to him?! I… " And she tuned him out again.

InuYasha suffered through several 'sits' on the way back to the village. Needless to say he did not take them very graciously, resulting in even more 'sits,' only further proving that he _never _learned when to shut his trap.

Golden eyes watched emotionlessly as Kagome and InuYasha continued to bicker. The owner of the eyes slowly turned away as the taiyoukai Kagome had been conversing with moments before turned back towards his camp.

**a/n: sorry it took me so long to update! I was very occupied! My parents made me go to some stupid academic camp after we got back from the beach. On the bright side though, my hand is healed enough to type comfortably!! Yay!! Don't kill me for not updating quickly! I had good reasons!! Also I have some story ideas posted on my profile that I beg people to go and see! If one of them sounds particularly good to you then please, don't hesitate to send me a message and TELL ME which one you prefer! **


	6. BIG IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE!

**BIG IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE!! **

**Hey!! This is important so hang in there with me for a moment, will ya! **

**Most of you have probably noticed that I already have chapter 5 up and there is no memory-less Kagome! I have had a major change in plot and I'm going to go with it 'cause I think it might actually be original! So I have yet to decide if this new plot will have Kagome loosing her memory. If she dose loose her memory it will NOT be anytime soon! So, I'm going to keep summery as is for the time being! Just a heads up for anybody who was looking forward to a Kag with no memory! So just because of this please do not abandon my fanfic! I promise you it will be awesome! Also it is still a SESSKAG pairing! The new plot should begin to reveal itself within the next two chapters if I have my say! Unfortunately sometimes the characters and the plot have a mind of their own and decide to exclude me from all the fun and decision making in this story!!**

**_-OhBrother _**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: A Change in Wind**

_Disclaimer: I. Own. Nothing. How many times am I going to have to say that? _

Kagome giggled at Shippo's antics.

Shippo and InuYasha had been getting into multiple fights of late. Kagome chalked it up to the fact that Shippo was growing up and InuYasha was having a hard time dealing with another mature male (not at all in Kagome's opinion. If it were up to her no male would _ever _be called mature.) was in his pack and, according to his more primal instincts could challenge his authority as the alpha male. (Not that he was the alpha male considering how many times Kagome would 'sit' him to get her way. If anyone was the alpha male it was her. _Excuse me_, alpha _female_.)

So in light of their recent bout of fights Kagome had decided to separate the two. Plus they all could use a day or two of rest from shard hunting. With Kagome's ahem, "persuasion," InuYasha finally agreed. Though Kagome wasn't quite sure. What he said could've been a muffled curse since his face was planted in the dirt; but she generously gave him the benefit of the doubt.

So here they were, Kagome and Shippo, playing in the forest. Shippo was currently showing off a new foxfire trick he had learned on his own. It made Kagome smile to see her little kit so happy and proud. He had grown so much since they had first started the quest.

Kagome stiffened when she sensed an approaching aura only to relax when she recognized it.

The Lord of the West in all his spare glory stepped out of the trees and into the futuristic miko's line of sight. Shippo abruptly stopped his display of fox illusions and went to stand in front of Kagome shakily.

Kagome's heart swelled with love for the little kitsune before her. The action was unnecessary and she could tell her Shippo was very scared of the taiyoukai, but he stood his ground, ready to protect the woman he now considered his mother. He was willing to do anything to keep her from harms way. At least InuYasha had taught the kit something worthwhile instead of all the foul words that constantly spewed forth from his dirty mouth. Whenever InuYasha became like that Kagome always had the urge to wash the hanyou's mouth out with soap. She settled for a good old-fashioned sit.

Kagome stepped forward silently and laid a gentle hand of Shippo's shoulder to calm the growling kit. He looked back at her, his face questioning as she smiled down at him.

"There is no need for that, Shippo. Sesshomaru will not hurt us." Kagome told him softly.

"Why, Momma?" Shippo asked curiously.

Kagome opened her mouth to explain when Sesshomaru's smooth baritone voice cut in.

"Because I have no quarrel with your mother, kit. InuYasha is the person with whom I am currently at odds. The situation with InuYasha is in no way connected to your mother. Your new family will not be harmed by myself." Sesshomaru was quick to sooth Shippo's nerves and gave the kitsune a short pat on his head.

Shippo suddenly beamed up at the taiyoukai. Showing much more maturity than a kit his age usually had he proclaimed, "any friend of Momma's is a friend of mine." He crinkled his nose suddenly and added, "Besides, InuYasha is mean to Momma. He doesn't deserve to be her protector." The kit lifted his chin stubbornly as his mother scolded him.

Sesshomaru felt a peculiar heat rise within him at the young demon's words. The half-breed wasn't taking proper care of the miko?

"Shippo! That is not true, you know that! InuYasha protects me just fine." Kagome chided her son gently.

"But he's so mean to you Momma!" Shippo argued. "He's always running off to be with Kikyo! Eep!" Shippo's hands flew to his mouth. His emerald eyes widened as he looked up at his surrogate mother.

Kagome's gaze suddenly had a sadness hovering in their depths. "A sadness," Sesshomaru couldn't help but think, "that doesn't belong there at all." Who was this Kikyo wench that the mere mention of her name put such a great sorrow into the gracious little miko's eyes? He would be sure to inquire.

"Kit." Sesshomaru spoke to fill the pressing silence. "My ward, Rin, would be happy with a playmate. She is just beyond the tree line in the meadow if you should choose to join her."

Shippo's eyes lit up and the exuberant kit dashed past the tree line in search of the promise of a new friend, the miko and taiyoukai following at their own pace.

Kagome sat down on the grass and inhaled the crisp sent of autumn. She loved this season best of all the others. Everything turned such vibrant colors, green leaves changing to the yellow and orange and reds of the season before fluttering softly to the ground. Fall spoke of endings, to make way for the slumbering whiteness of the winter. It also spoke of new beginnings, all of the seeds falling off trees, waiting for spring to burst forth with new life. All in all it was a time of endings and the promise of new beginnings.

The shrieking laughter of the playing children startled Kagome out of her thoughts. Here eyes met with the humorous site of Shippo and Rin chasing Jaken around while mounted on Ah-Un's back, taking turns throwing various sized rocks at the squawking retainer.

Sesshomaru's eyebrow rose minutely at the spectacle his annoyingly faithful retainer was making. The imp was almost not worth the trouble he caused. If it weren't that he needed someone to take care of Rin when he, himself, was away, the retainer would quickly find himself short a lord to serve.

The taiyoukai glanced towards the docile miko. The sadness had not yet left her eyes, it still lingered. It was a dark shadow in the blue ocean of her eyes, a spot of back in the purity of her soul. Like the dark side of the moon, there, but never seen. Something that Sesshomaru now found himself privy to.

Sesshomaru recalled the kit's earlier insinuation of InuYasha's neglect and mistreatment of the miko and his displeasure grew. The miko obviously did not think the hanyou was an unfit protector. Perhaps he was adequate, but the fox felt that there was much left to be desired when the subject of InuYasha's protector status came into question. The kit had said that InuYasha was "mean" towards the miko. It was true that Sesshomaru himself had seen the fights his half-brother and the woman would instigate, but that was more a clash of personalities than InuYasha being mean. The kit had been correct, however, in his assessment of InuYasha's _future _ability to protect the miko.

The threat of Naraku was steadily becoming greater. There were whispers among the other lords about the vile hanyou. All the lords were becoming uneasy. The disturbances within their borders were becoming more frequent and everything pointed to Naraku. Some of the more gutless lower lords, lords with much less to lose than the Great Lords such as himself of the West, were beginning to talk of negotiation. They talked of becoming allies to the half-breed scum. In Sesshomaru's opinion these lords were cowards. They would rater the evil hanyou become an ally than band together to kill the repulsive creature. Many of the lower lords were involved in petty skirmishes with other minor lords. Sesshomaru found it utterly disgraceful that they would rather pledge friendship with a being that would turn on them the moment they were no longer useful than with lords they were feuding with over trivial issues. It was the most childish act he had ever heard of. It enraged the taiyoukai that such youkai were ruling over their own land, however small the piece of land may be.

All this brought his thoughts back to the little miko at his side. If the lesser lords decided to ally themselves to Naraku the woman sitting not two feet from him would be in constant danger not only from Naraku but also from assassins and the soldiers that would be sent to eradicate the shard hunters. Yes, it was becoming clear that Kagome would soon need more protection than InuYasha could provide. Therefore, Sesshomaru would be forced to step in and make sure she was being protected properly. Soon he would speak to the miko of his idea, there was no point in speaking to his half-brother about it, he was bound to be irrational and take it as a personal insult. Of course, that was how Sesshomaru was hoping he would take it. Should the InuYasha pitch a fit it would be most satisfying to watch the hanyou be subdued.

A giggle startled the demon lord out of his thoughts. Sesshomaru looked to the young woman sitting beside him as she watched the children's merriment.

A gentle breeze blew through the clearing and Kagome's hair danced about her face, mesmerizing in the way it accented her features. The laughing smile she displayed as she watched the little ones play. And the twin blue orbs of swirling liquid sapphire that seemed to sparkle with joy and life. Sesshomaru had never met such a creature before. She stood out, a flower in the dry earth of his war and violence ridden existence. A new oddity, one he was intent on exploring.

Kagome felt the gaze of the Western Lord on her and soon turned to lock eyes with him. She smiled brilliantly up at him.

Sesshomaru regarded her for a moment. He hated to speak the name the kit had mentioned prior to their arrival at the small clearing they now sat in, the name that had brought forth such sorrow, but he needed the information for future reference and understood that as an outsider of her group the monk and the demon slayer would be wary of him and was not the best place to gain the facts. The kit had a biased opinion, having seen the sadness in his mother's eyes. He was also but a child and could not fully comprehend why his mother was in such pain. Of course there was no point in asking InuYasha. The dolt probably hadn't realized that he had caused any harm with this Kikyo woman. He would probably just "keh" and tell the inu-lord that it was "none of his damn business."

"Tell me, miko. Who was the Kikyo woman that the kit spoke of?" Sesshomaru practically demanded.

Sesshomaru watched as the miserable expression slipped back into Kagome's eyes. The blue orbs shimmered with emotion and darkened with such a deep sadness that, for a moment, Sesshomaru thought it might swallow her whole. The name hadn't invoked such fierce emotion when the kit had mentioned it. What had the bastard _done_ to her!

Kagome took a deep breath to try, in vain, to reign in the surge of emotions that had threatened to engulf her. She had hoped desperately that Sesshomaru would never find out about the dead priestess. She was glad to have a friend who did not look at her and think of Kikyo, the dead woman's power and regret the loss of such a powerful priestess. It was nice to be seen without being compared. But now Sesshomaru had asked about the dead woman and Kagome felt obligated to answer. He was simply asking. He couldn't know exactly how the incarnation made Kagome feel. She took a deep breath.

"As you know, I'm from 500 years in the future. This sets the time frame for possible reincarnation. I am Kikyo's reincarnation. In this era she died 50 years ago. A witch named Urasue brought her back. I was able to call most of my soul back to my body but she still has a part of my soul with her. She feeds off of the souls of others and has a body of clay and baked bones." Kagome said slowly.

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "And my half-brother allows such an abomination to continue to roam?" he asked, perturbed.

Kagome's head dropped and she shielded her eyes from view, her bangs hanging over her face. This, however, did not keep Sesshomaru's superior sense of smell from scenting out the saltiness about the miko at his statement.

"InuYasha was in love with Kikyo before she died and he feels responsible for her death even though they were both tricked by Naraku." She fell silent a moment as Sesshomaru seethed and his beast whimpered to comfort the suffering woman.

"I feel so incomplete now that part of my soul is gone. Like a crucial part of me is missing and when InuYasha insults me or asks me if I can do _anything _right it intensifies. Even when I know he doesn't mean it. I always feel as if I'm being compared to her. InuYasha does it, even if he doesn't realize it. Kaede can't help but compare me to Kikyo, she was her sister and she had always admired and looked up to her. Miroku and Sango even do it sometimes even though they don't know her. Everyone had heard of Kikyo and her power and sometimes in battle, when I try to contribute, I see the doubt in their eyes. Like I'm not good enough to take care of myself even though I've proved many times that I am now capable of defending myself." Kagome lifted her head, her eyes softened and the sadness abated somewhat under the love that shone in her gaze.

"Of course my little Shippo doesn't know her and wouldn't care to. All he knows is loyalty to his mother and that I am sad whenever Kikyo is around and InuYasha goes off to see her. So he blames it on InuYasha, though I think it somewhat unfair to do so. InuYasha never made any commitment to me other than to protect. But that doesn't matter to Shippo; my brave little kit." And they fell to the silence of their own thoughts. It was, surprisingly so, Sesshomaru who first broke heavy silence.

"It is not fair for others to compare you to a woman who died 50 years ago, miko. You share a soul, but you are different people. We are shaped by the people around us as we grow. There is no doubt that customs and ways, life in general, are much different 500 years from now that when this Kikyo was truly alive. You are different. As for your power, you have not had much formal training but I can already feel much power radiating from your aura. Do not underestimate yourself and your worth. And any fool should be able to tell that a living woman is better than a dead bitch who feeds off the souls of others." Sesshomaru said all of this slowly and deliberately, without making eye contact with Kagome. Opting, instead, for watching the children play about with Ah-Un.

Kagome sat in pensive thought for a long moment, digesting Sesshomaru's words. She found that she was grateful of Sesshomaru's frankness and ability to speak his mind plainly and she was thankful that she was one of the few people he trusted enough to allow her to view this somewhat private side of him. The truth was that Kagome had been berry worried over Sesshomaru's reaction. He was someone who had _never met_ Kikyo and did not have a biased opinion as to Kagome's power or worth. Even if she was _not_ nearly so powerful of useful as Kikyo, Sesshomaru, an obviously experienced warrior, had confirmed that she did in fact have power and worth. It was quite a relief to her self-esteem, which, of late, had been understandably low. Now, however, it was vastly improved.

Sesshomaru eyed the miko out the corner of his eye. He was confused with his previous actions. He had wanted information about the Kikyo woman. In light of the onna's emotional response he had acted on instinct: the instinct to sooth and comfort. He had spoken nothing but the truth, but why he had even graced her with his words on the subject perturbed him. The sight of the miko in such despair had not settled right with him. For that matter, when had he ever started to enjoy conversation with her? It was certain that she was no dull, uneducated creature; she was quite bright. She held her own views and opinions in high regard and could argue her point with unfailing dexterity. No, she was not dull by any means; but when he started to crave her company?

The two sat in an anything-but-awkward silence and watched the children play as the sun journeyed across the sky. Content to sit without speaking… a silence broken by the occasional giggle from Kagome over some silly antic of Rin and Shippo, or even Jaken. No, the contrasting pair sat in a companionable silence. A silence brought about by an understanding.

Soon it became late afternoon and Kagome decided it best to go before InuYasha showed up to "haul ass," as he had so eloquently put it when they left earlier that day, back to camp. It he were to barge in on the peaceful scene he would quickly disrupt the tranquility with a challenge towards Sesshomaru. Then they would _never_ get back to their campsite.

Kagome sighed and stood slowly, dusting herself off. She called to Shippo as she righted herself.

"Shippo, we have to go now. Say goodbye to Rin."

The kit turned to look at his mother with a pouting expression, reminding Kagome that no matter how much he had grown he still had much left ahead of him. She smiled at her son but remained firm. It was time to leave.

Shippo turned. "I'll see you later Rin." He told his human playmate.

"Do you promise Shippo?" Rin asked albeit anxiously.

He nodded, determined. "I promise! Not even InuYasha could stop me!" he proclaimed with a proud swell of his chest.

The children grinned at each other in child-like glee before parting, Rin to stand at her lord's side and Shippo to walk off with his mother.

Sesshomaru's beast whimpered in discontentment as he watched the miko leave his sight with her adopted son. He could not shake the overwhelming sense that something wasn't quite right. With the unease came the urge to go after the retreating figures to make sure that they reached their destination safely. It occurred to Sesshomaru in that instant that Kagome had the shards of the Shikon with her: they were a walking target.

A cry pierced the air and Sesshomaru's head snapped up. He ran.

* * *

Kagome walked quickly. She was acutely aware of the luminescent Shikon shards around her neck and the threat they pose now that they were always from the demon lord. She suspected that no youkai had attacked earlier because of Sesshomaru's presence. Many youkai with some semblance of self-preservation were in fear of him and had good reason to be. It was logical that they would simply wait until the woman left the mighty taiyoukai.

Unfortunately Kagome had been correct in her assumptions. It was not too soon after they were a good ways away from Sesshomaru that Kagome and Shippo were attacked.

A murder of crow youkai surrounded the mother and son, there were too many to count. The crows seemed to blink almost sleepily for a split second before they descended swiftly towards their prey.

Kagome and Shippo were soon on defense, getting in a lick or two from time to time and slowly but surely depleting their numbers. But energy soon began to run low.

They were down to the last half dozen or so of the murder. For her part, Kagome kept shooting fearful glances at her kit, making sure he was well and still standing.

It happened in an instant. Kagome saw it too late to react, a particularly large crow youkai attempting to fell the miko with an overhead attack while she was preoccupied with its brother.

"Momma!" came Shippo's hysterical cry. Without thought to himself the little boy threw his own body in the way of the attack, taking the brunt of the damage.

Kagome watched as her son fell, as his eyes sought her own, as they lit in relief, as he smiled, and as his breath sputtered and died in his chest.

Kagome let out an anguished and strangled sound in the back of her constricting throat. Her body was engulfed in pink light, a wave of power wiping out the last of the crows. But her eyes never strayed, focused on only one thing.

Sesshomaru dashed into the clearing only moments later. A most horrible sight met his eyes.

Kagome sobbed brokenly over the kit's still body, rocking slowly back and forth, as if she were once again rocking her son, this time unresponsive and cold.

If Sesshomaru had believed Kagome to be deeply saddened earlier then he would rather kept that misconception. For as Kagome's tears fell to the ground over her dead kit's body, and his beast roared in sorrow as it felt the pain of the little miko before him, Sesshomaru felt something stir deeply within himself.

Sesshomaru's hand came up to rest on the hilt of Tenseiga.

**

* * *

****a/n: um… HEY!! Well, isn't that a nice little cliffy! Especially since it's been so long since I've updated. By the way sorry about that prolonged absence. My computer has been down for about the last four months or so and I'm kinda SICK at the moment. (and it hurts like a bitch!) The things I do for you people… you'd better review. -sniffle- who knew a sore throat could hurt so damn much! I swear I woke up at four in the morning the other night and couldn't go back to sleep because it hurt to BREATH! **


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